Washington: While the war against smoking in Hollywood movies has been largely won, Asian cinema represents the next major battleground for anti-smoking and anti-cancer groups.

Dr Peter Pugsley, Senior Lecturer in Media at the University of Adelaide, said that as smoking rates have been rising in Asia, so has the depiction of smoking in Asian cinema.

Dr Pugsley is the author of a new book on contemporary Asian cinema being published this month. He is also the author of a paper published recently in Continuum: Journal of Media and Cultural Studies that focuses on a Malaysian film's portrayal of smoking among young women.

"While much has been written on the glamorization of smoking in Hollywood films, surprisingly little research exists on the portrayal of smoking in Asian cinema," Dr Pugsley said.

"In the light of an alarming rise in the number of young Asian women becoming smokers, it's important for us to understand what role Asian cinema plays in glamorizing smoking, and in showing female characters who smoke," he said.